How do I become a registered social worker in Canada?
CASW is not a regulatory body and thus does not register social workers or grant the ability to practice. Canada is a Federation of provinces and territories. Legislative authority is thus divided between the Federal government and the provincial/territorial governments. In Canada jurisdiction over profession is assigned to the provinces/territories. Each province has enacted legislation and established social work regulatory bodies to govern the profession in accordance with the legislation. Provincial social work legislation varies from province to province. Individual social workers become registered by becoming a member of a provincial regulatory body.
Am I a member of the CASW Federation?
Please see this page and find your province or territory to determine whether you are a member of CASW.
How do I create an account on the website?
Please see these instructions.
Does CASW accredit social work programs provided in other countries?
CASW does not approve or accredit any social work programs. CASW assesses each application on its own merit to determine if the program content completed by an individual is comparable for the Canadian social work curriculum and is likely to have provided the opportunity to achieve comparable qualifications to a Canadian B.S.W. or M.S.W.
Can CASW tell me if someone's degree from the program or school to which I am applying have previously been assessed by the CASW as being equivalent to a Canadian degree?
The CASW does not discuss information pertinent to other applicants/applications regarding the assessment of degrees nor does it approve or accredit any social work programs.
Again, it is important to note that the CASW assesses each application on its own merit to determine if the program content completed by an individual is comparable for the Canadian social work curriculum. Degrees from the same institution and the same year are not necessarily equivalent because of program options. They may be equivalent in terms of level but not entirely comparable in terms of social work content. Therefore there is no guarantee that if other graduates from a particular program/school have a degree assessed as equivalent by the CASW that your degree will be assessed as equivalent to a Canadian degree.
Does CASW have information about accredited social work degree programs?
CASW does not maintain a list of accredited BSW or MSW programs for any country including Canada. For Canadian social work programs contact the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) and for American programs contact the Council on Social Work Education.
Social Work programs accredited in another country are not necessarily equivalent to a Canadian Social Work degree.
Canadians exploring a foreign social work degree should bear in mind that Canadian social work employers and provincial / territorial social work organizations might require that foreign degrees be assessed for equivalency to a Canadian social work degree as a condition of employment or membership. Click here for more information about the assessment of foreign trained social workers degrees.
Does CASW release information about its members?
CASW considers members’ personal information, including addresses, confidential. Consequently, CASW does not release information to a person(s) requesting information about an individual member(s). If there is an urgent reason to contact a CASW member, however, then CASW will arrange to make the circumstance known to the member for their follow-up action.
How can I make a complaint about the social work association in my province/territory?
Provincial and territorial social work associations are not accountable to the CASW. A complaint about the social work association in your province/territory would be best directed to the Board of Directors of that association.
How can I make a complaint about a case of unprofessional conduct by a social worker?
In Canada, social work legislation is the responsibility of the provinces therefore a complaint or expression of concern about the conduct or actions of a social worker must be directed to the social work regulatory body in the province in which the social worker practises. For contact information for social work regulatory bodies in Canada please click here.
I would like to arrange a social work practicum/internship/field placement in Canada. Can you help me? Does CASW arrange job exchanges in Canada?
CASW does not offer any services in relation to social work field education, including practicum/internship and field placement . Social work students interested in an international social work practicum are advised to contact Canadian schools of social work directly. A list of Canadian schools of social work and their addresses is available on the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) website.
How do I have my foreign social work degree assessed for equivalence to a Canadian social work degree?
CASW has a well-established procedure for assessing foreign social work credentials to determine equivalence to Canadian social work degrees. CASW provides the assessment service to all our provincial / territorial member organizations except in the provinces of British Columbia and Quebec.
The application procedure is explained in detail on our website Click here. You can either download the application package or CASW will mail the application package to you upon request.
I would like to know more about the profession of social work in Canada. Can you help me?
There are several web-based references for you to check out. If you haven’t already you will find an excellent overview of the profession on CASW’s website. You will also be able to find overviews of the profession on the websites of the CASW’s provincial / territorial social work member organizations.
An excellent resource for information about social work in Canada is a national study of the status of the social work profession in Canada published in 2000. The report In Critical Demand Social Work in Canada Volume 1 Final Report (2000) is available on-line.
Another resource worth reviewing is the Government of Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) website. It describes the occupation of social work in Canada including national employment trends.
My question has not been answered here. What can I do?
If your question concerns social work education and accreditation of social work programs in Canada, contact the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE).
If your question concerns immigration to Canada, contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
If your question concerns the regulation of the profession in Canada, contact the appropriate provincial or territorial social work organization.
If your question concerns social work practice in a particular province or territory, contact the applicable provincial or territorial social work organization. To access the web addresses and contact information for the provincial and territorial social work organizations in Canada, click here.
Information related to historical questions can sometimes be found at Library and Archives Canada
If your question has not been answered on the CASW website, please check the list of links for access to other useful resources.